Inside Walker Library With its expert staff, dynamic collections, and electronic resources, Walker Library is the University’s hub for study and research. But the library is also the place where students come to mix and mingle, learn, and discover new ways to work together. The library also has an active exhibit and event program. In partnership with various University departments, student organizations, and local groups, Walker Library displays collections and historical objects and hosts cultural events and concerts. Here's a look at recent news and events.
SO LONG, DEWEY In a project that dates back decades, Walker Library recently began the arduous process of converting its collection from the Dewey Decimal system to the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) system. It’s the preferred way of categorizing books for academic libraries, and it marked the first major project for the library’s new chair of Collection Development and Management, Susan Martin. “LCC is a simpler system for folks to understand,” Martin said. “It’s a little more flexible, and it allows us to group things that make a little more sense together. It actually promotes browsing. Once you get that one item that you want to find, you’ll be able to go up there and see all the work that’s been done in that area. It’ll make things a little easier.” “In talking to some of the longer-term folks who’ve been here for 20, 25, 30 years, this is something they were talking about doing when they came,” Martin revealed. “This is huge. It’s a big step for us, and it will bring us into alignment. We’re finally doing it!” Students and other patrons of the library undoubtedly witnessed the transition in person over the course of the Spring 2021 semester as professional movers and librarians worked diligently on multiple floors to rearrange parts of the collection.
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